Eko revija broj 15 - Fond za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost

Energy produced in such plants is also an
important benefit of such investments -
the aforementioned 70 biogas plants produce
30 million cubic meters of gas or 60
million kW of electricity, which is enough
to power as many as 22 000 households.
The heat produced in biogas plants is enough
for 9000 homes. At the same time, the
Croatian company Vrana, based in the vicinity
of Biograd, plans to introduce new
technologies worth 3, 5 million euro, with
the financial help from the Munich based
Croatian emigrants. That agricultural company
farms 100 hectares of land, owns 900
heads of cattle and a poultry farm with
125 000 egg-laying hens.
Iris Bajlo: Solar energy illuminated
Zadar (page 57)
The Zadar quay reconstruction project and
the Sun Salutation installation, which is an
integral part of the architectural design,
are a perfect example of a union between
the use of renewable energy sources
and inspired design, which enhances the
appearance of the historical town and
the Adriatic coast. While highlighting the
need for the integration of environmental
awareness and modern technologies, this
project points to a completely different
view of energy. It also shows how playful
imagination can achieve great architectural
effects, while serving the practical
requirements of a public space. A symbolic
sun absorbs solar energy during the
day and the collected energy powers an
imaginative play of lights that follow the
rhythm of waves and begin at nightfall.
The unique combination of lights, sounds
and waves may become an international
attraction.
Ružica Cindori: The Đurđevac Sahara
(page 58)
The Đurđevački Pijesci phenomenon has
been described by Đurđevac teachers as
early as 1900. It that time there still existed
large areas of bare sand, moved about by
winds that created shapes characteristic
of desert landscapes, which is why the
early chroniclers compared them to the
“African Sahara”. The moving sand caused
endless problems to local farmers
because it would cover their fields or
parts of villages. The Podravina Pijesci is a
phenomenon that is disappearing under
the human influence. Unfortunately, that
means that its rich flora is fading away
and many habitats are endangered or
irrevocably transformed. The author of
the book found that the area is a home
to 529 butterfly species, out of which 27
characteristic species inhabit exclusively
sandy areas. Kranjčev believes that scientifically
based projects must be designed
and launched, aimed at the preservation
and revitalization of biodiversity in that
special reserve.
Kruno Kartus: The highway uncovers
Slavonian history (page 60)
On the route of the Corridor 5C, which
passes through Croatia as the 88,6-kmlong
Beli Manastir - Osijek - Svilaj highroad,
there are as many as forty-four
registered archeological sites. The wealth
of archeological finds is best illustrated
by the fact that the Hrvatske Autoceste
Company had to invest 72 million kuna in
the preservation of those localities. That is
half of the total funds invested in archeological
research by the HAC since 2000. At
the Štrosmajerovac site covering 100 000
square meters, ten archeologists assisted
by 60 workers are currently employed. At
the sites, mostly local workers find jobs -
at the moment a total of 200 people are
employed. At the Štrosmajerovac site, the
remains were unearthed of a late Bronze
Age settlement and a 15th century village
of Užarevci, which once existed on histori-
98 EKO REVIJA eco review
cal, Austro-Hungarian maps. Three months
ago, at the Franjevac locality covering the
area of 36000 square meters, we discovered
traces of a Bronze Age culture, dating
from around 3000 BC. Pottery and bronze
objects were unearthed, along with children’s
skulls, remains of a man buried with
two dogs and an exceptionally rare ceramic
axe, probably ceremonial.
Nebojša Jerković: Cultivation of citrus
fruits in Croatia (page 61)
The cultivation of tangerines was first
introduced in Croatia in 1920, when the
possibility of citrus fruits cultivation in
Dalmatia was first realized. In his book
Mandarina unšiu, 1956, author Milan Režić
presents the chronology of introduction
of the first tangerine cultivars along the
Adriatic Coast. The first cultivars arrived in
1933 from the Yokohama-Japan nursery
garden to the port of Bar in Montenegro.
After the planting of the first cultivars, that
fruit easily spread across the Adriatic and
in 1936 tangerine trees were planted on
the island of Korčula, Dubrovnik, Split and
the island of Hvar. Fertile farmland of the
Neretva River Valley is perfectly suitable
for organic production of high-quality Mediterranean
and even subtropical fruits,
and some vegetables. According to statistics,
Croatia today has 70 000 hectares of
orchards, which account for 2, 2% of total
farmland in the country.
Dražen Jambrović: Children in traffic
(page 62)
Children are a vulnerable group of road
users. The number of traffic road victims
is increasing around the world and it is
particularly tragic that many of them are
children. It is natural that every September,
when the new school year begins, we
pay special attention to the protection of
children on our roads, especially first-graders
who are attempting to cross roads
independently for the first time. There
are 46 286 children enrolled in first grades
of Croatian schools - which means
there are as many new road users. Aware
that children are still developing skills that
will make them responsible participants
in traffic, the Ministry of the Interior introduced
a series of both preventive and
repressive measures aimed at increasing
children’s safety. The most famous is the
“Children in Traffic” campaign, running
continuously since 1995. Over the past
ten years, 263 children have been killed
on roads and 17 427 were injured. Last
year, 26 children lost their lives, which is
a 45% increase as against the previous
year when 18 children were killed. Out of
the total number, 13 died as pedestrians,
11 as car-passengers and 2 as drivers. The
statistics show that children’s road safety
has improved considerably since the launching
of the campaign.
Vanja Vitelj: Lavander (page 64)
Lavender is a perennial, silvery flowering
plant, used for over two thousand years. It
originated from the western Mediterranean,
where Greeks and Romans cultivated
it for it medicinal properties. Today cultivated
extensively for perfume, medicinal
and ornamental purposes in several European
countries, the plant reaches a height
of 20 - 70 cm, has linear, lanceolate 3-5 cm
long and 5 mm wide leaves covered with
a velvety pubescence, and develops blue
or purple flowers. During the Black Plague
of 1665, bundles of lavender were hung
extensively throughout London and its
surrounds to sweeten the air from the
smell of death, and also for its cleansing
and anti-bacterial properties. Today it is
used as a cure for anxious disorders, insomnia
and stress. Lavender was also added
to pillow fillings, because of their relaxing
properties. In Croatia, lavender is most
often encountered in Dalmatia, where it
graces almost every garden.
Kruno Kartus: Slavonians plant
lavender (page 66)
Several years ago, the Trampus family
discovered they had ideal conditions for
lavender cultivation and began a pioneering
endeavor - cultivation of lavender
near Belišće, on a first lavender farm in
Slavonia. “Wide fields, rich soil, pleasant
wind blowing form Krašica and, most
importantly, enough sun throughout the
day, are ideal conditions for lavender”, explained
Vesna Trampus as she prepares for
the second harvest this year. In 2005, the
family planted three and a half thousand
cultivars on two hectares of previously
deserted farmland, which was therefore
free of pesticides, and treated it only with
natural soil improvers. Thanks to the safe
market and stable prices, the Trampus’
now have 17 thousand cultivars that yield
their scented flowers twice a year.
Edita gregurić-Cvenić: Agave (page 67)
Agavaceae is a family of plants that includes
many well-known desert and dry
zone types such as the agave. Lice all succulents,
agave store water in their thick leaves.
Although their leaves are spiky, they
do not belong to the Cacti, but to the order
of flowering plants Asparagales. They
flower only once - after some ten years.
The plants have a large rosette of thick
fleshy leaves generally ending in a sharp
point and with a spiny margin; the stout
stem is usually short, the leaves apparently
springing from the root. During flowering
a tall stem or “mast” grows from the
center of the leaf rosette and bears a large
number of flowers. After development of
fruit the original plant dies, but suckers are
frequently produced from the base of the
stem, which become new plants. Its leaf
and tincture have medicinal properties.
Roman Ozimec: Dinara goats (page 68)
Goats have always been the most common
domestic animal in the Dinaric karst
region, alongside sheep. They have left
a mark on many aspects of human lives
- goat paths are often the only passages
across that karst wasteland and water
was carried in goatskins. In remote villages,
beds used to be one meter above the
ground so that kids could be placed beneath
them for the first few nights after their
birth. Goats eat almost about a hundred
plants and are perfectly adapted to barren
karst, difficult terrain and harsh weather
conditions. Across the Dinarides, a characteristic
breed has developed called the
“Dinara multicolored goat”. In mid-19th
century, there were almost 400 000 goats
in Dalmatia, but their number has dwindled
through the decades, so in the early
20th century there were only 200 000 and
in 1939 only 115 000 goats.
Krunoslav Rac: Brown bear (page 70)
According to estimates, the brown bear
population in Croatia numbers 600 - 1000
animals. For bears, it is food that dictates
the life style and distribution range. Bear
is by nature an opportunist who will eat
anything with any nutritional value. That
quality enables it to inhabit barren mountain
areas. As opposed to other large
mammals, bears have developed a characteristic
strategy for survival in harsh,
winter conditions. When the supply of
food in nature diminishes, they go into
hibernation! When thick layer of snow
covers the land and temperatures fall far
below the freezing point, they take shelter
in their dens, where a cozy bed awaits
them, made of leaves and twigs collected
before winter. Their dens are always small
so that the bear could use as little as possible
energy for keeping warm. Hibernation
is a state of inactivity and metabolic
depression in animals, characterized by
lower body temperature, slower breathing,
and lower metabolic rate. Bears do
not have real natural enemies. Very rarely
does it happen that a pack of wolves attacks
a bear-cub. They are usually simply
too large and too strong for other animals.
Unfortunately, neither strength nor size
helps against a bullet.
Dora Belamarić: The town of Bakar
(page 72)
Bakar is located on an amphitheatre-shaped
slope above the Bakar Bay, 15 km
southeast of Rijeka. The town center was
designated a cultural monument in 1968.
The first settlement dates from the late
Bronze Age and during the Greco-Roman
period it spread along the coast. The 20th
century brings the intensive industrialization
of the Bakar Bay and the town itself,
which resulted in devastation of its natural
resources. After the long period of misdirected
industrial development, Bakar is
again flourishing, as the awakened environmental
awareness has paved the way
to the development of sustainable tourism.
The main reason is the demolition of
the notorious coke-plant in Bakar. Remediation
process will cover the surface area
of over 5500 square meters contaminated
with tar and oil, and the depth of 0, 8 - 3,
5 meters. The Head of the Environmental
Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund
Vinko Mladineo announced that the Fund
would invest 18 million kuna in the Bakar
remediation project, which would undoubtedly
contribute to the continuation of
the tourism development in Bakar and its
sustainable economic development.